[OPEN] do the D-A-N-C-E, 1-2-3-4 fight

[unbreaker]

WHO: Josuke Higashikata & YOU!
WHERE: Various Porter Cities, Online, and Peru
WHEN: July (specify any date you like but from the 6th to the 19th Josuke will only be available by phone)
WHAT: Catch-all for the month of July
WARNINGS: Memory alteration. If anything else comes up, I'll edit this.
NOTES: If the below prompts don't work for you, feel free to write your own or PM this account/hit me up at quietlikeafire and we can see about setting up a different scenario! New CR is welcome! I'll also match brackets or prose, whichever you prefer.


★ OTA 1 | Arcade (Nonah; July 1-5, 20-31)
With school out now for summer break, Josuke's happy to spend as much free time as possible at one of his favorite Nonah hangouts. Whether blowing off stress or simply blowing cash because he can, especially thanks to the lottery ticked Kaneda got him for his birthday, he can be found at a number of the games in the arcade with but one goal in mind: beat the top scores. It's not a feat he's managed to accomplish yet given the arcade's regulars, but he's come damn near close a handful of times, sometimes with the aid of his Stand, though most people have no idea. But, like his old man used to say, it's not cheating if you're not caught, right?

At his least competitive he'll frequent the claw machines in an attempt to win imPort-themed plush toys and other merch, and at his most competitive, he'll challenge whoever's nearby to a dance off, a race, some PvP tournament style fighting, or a match of air hockey. Probably, these sorts of challenges will come coupled with stupid conditions to make things more interesting, because what fun is winning if there aren't any stakes? Competitors beware!

★ OTA 2 | Gym (De Chima; July 1-5, 20-31)
Josuke is blessed with good genetics. Despite eating like a trash disposal and seldom lifting things heavier than a game controller (or his featherweight girlfriend), he's managed to maintain a pretty decent physique since arriving in this world more than a year ago. But now that he's a bit older, his growing is probably done. He's racked up an inch or two in terms of height and he probably won't get any taller than that. Now, if he's not careful, he'll start growing in other ways, and giving Hazel or anyone else insult ammo's so far down on his list of things he wants to do that it drops straight off the bottom and brings him to the gym.

There are more personal reasons for deciding to start up a fitness regimen, of course. Wanting to pursue a career in law enforcement one day, he needs to be in peak physical condition. And if he ever hopes to have another friendly spar with his great gramps or one of his friends, he'll get more from it and be able to give more back if he's working just as hard as everyone else to stay on top of things.

But besides that, hitting the gym isn't just a great way to cure boredom, it's also something of an ego boost. Josuke may spend a bit more time than necessary before the gym mirrors admiring his stupidly flashy trainers or, when he's in the pool, doing everything he can to avoid getting his hair wet and throwing his famous do into disarray.

Don't think he's not working hard, though! It's pretty tough looking this good.

★ OTA 3 | Library (Heropa; July 1-5, 20-31)
Summer's only just begun, but September doesn't feel as far off anymore, not with the prospect of college looming ever closer by the day. Fortunately, Josuke knows now what career he wants to pursue and that makes the future a little less frightening, but despite having lived in America for greater than a year, he still feels ignorant of the culture in ways that will impede him from becoming a member of Heropa's finest.

Wisely, he's already asked the help of someone more familiar with America, its laws, and policing programs, but leaving his tutoring entirely up to Will seems unfair. That brings Josuke to the last place he'd ever expected to find himself during summer break: the library.

On the plus side, the building is air conditioned and there's a pretty decent coffee machine in the lounge if he gets thirsty. But on the downside, with so many resources available to him, Josuke's not really sure where to begin, and not knowing where to start means that as soon as he gets comfortable in a cushioned chair tucked away in some corner, he's more inclined to daydream and doze off than he is likely to get through a chapter in police foundations. The sound of snoozing is even more audible from beneath the hardcover book lying on his face to block out the combined assault of florescent and natural lighting...

So much for being quiet in the library.

★ OTA 4 | Instant Message, Phone Call, or Text
This is your catch-all option for online chatting or spontaneous phone conversations. As a heads up, if contacted between July 6th and 19th, Josuke will be in Peru with his great grandfather and will only be available to talk via phone call or text.

Comments

★ CLOSED | Haise Sasaki (July 1)

[unbreaker]

For the better part of a month and a half, Josuke had been attempting to slug through some heavy reading given to him by his great grandfather. Unfortunately, while it was meant to be preparation for their trip to Peru, the material was so heavy that Josuke had, time and time again, put off reading any of it in favor of doing...virtually anything else. With only five days left until departure, his only choice was to start cramming as much reading as he could into the wee hours of the night when his only other obligation was getting beauty sleep.

He'd finally managed to put a bit of a dent in one of the textbooks when, traipsing across his stomach, his cat's paw caught the cord of his new headphones and yanked them off his ears. After a brief period of glaring accusingly at the ball of fur who was all too happy to ignore him, Josuke realized that the house wasn't as quiet as usual this time of night. With his door open a crack to allow the air to circulate, he could hear a faint and unfamiliar noise coming from down the hall...from Haise's room.

Quietly, after marking his page in his book, he slipped out of his room and to his friend's bedroom door to investigate, but what he soon realized was that the sound he'd heard was Haise's muffled crying.

Should he say something? Or should he go? While he deliberated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other—the floor creaked beneath him. If there was any chance his presence hadn't been noticed before now, it was gone. So Josuke decided to forge ahead, to knock softly on the door and announce himself.

"Haise? I'm coming in."

[dualismum]

Haise and Kaneki have far too many similarities, even if the first insists he is a different person and insists on talking as if the two are very separate and different people. However, there are striking similarities in Sasaki's behavior that some people could eventually come to realize, if they only didn't hide. Because on thing is certain, both Sasaki and Kaneki hide. They hide everything all the time, their feelings, the things that happen to them, what they want to say, what they think and, sometimes, what they do. They are both liars and they have a hard time dealing with life in general. And yet they both smile when asked and say "everything is fine" and "I'm very happy living like this" - with a wide smile, too.

But nothing is fine. Kaneki wasn't fine and Haise isn't fine, though both had their different reasons. Kaneki because of what he has seen and suffered, and Sasaki for what he is and how he lives. Neither of them like to show others how troubled they are, and neither of them reach for help on their own. And in the end they deal with it by keeping themselves occupied 24/7 or - when at night they can't sleep - by crying into the pillow until their body gives in and they are far too tired. Haise can claim he is very different from kaneki as many times as he wants, but he is far too similar to Kaneki. He is Kaneki, after all.

Sasaki certainly tried to keep dark thoughts from his mind, but at the end of everyday he can't help but to drown in them. Everyday Haise remembers a bit more about Kaneki's life; small details like how he used to love hamburgers, or how he had a pet parrot which wasn't really his. And yet, these small details mean a lot, because bit by bit, Haise is fading and being replaced. And he is afraid, not only of being replaced, but what it'll mean the moment he remembers everything: will he become like Kaneki? Will he want to die? Will he be so depressed that nothing seems to make him happy? How scarred will he be when he finally recalls the torturous path Kaneki went through? And when he remembers how Arima - the person Sasaki considers a father - "killed" Kaneki and all of the pain from that battle, how will he see Arima? And what about the people he came to love as Haise, will stop? Will he ignore the bonds and relations he forged and deem them as "not important? And, and, and-

He is so afraid of these questions and the future, that every time he feels like he has been punched in the stomach and he wants to run, to scream, to cry. And that was exactly what Sasaki was doing right now: crying. Because that night he remembered Hinami and Touka, and he was left with this hallow feeling that felt like it was consuming him inside out. A panic attack ended with tears that he tried to muffle as he clung to a pillow. Until he heard a sound right outside his door, and he realized he might have been heard. The first reaction was to dry his tears with the back of his hand and try not to look as he had been crying. With Josuke's voice, the first thing he was able to say was "A moment!" while he tidied up what he could and put the pillow away.

Only then, he ran to the door, definitively a bit startled, and opened it almost too suddenly "Y-yes?!" and breathless too. "Sorry! - Josuke! What-?" wow, so smooth.

[unbreaker]

As the door is opened and Haise emerges, Josuke is shocked by what he sees. For all that Haise went through to try and hide the fact he was crying, the corners of his eyes are still damp and his face is blotchy and red. There's no mistaking it. He's in pain.

"Hey, it's...not a bad time, is it?" Peering past Haise, the younger teen attempts to inspect the room beyond. Nothing appears amiss. There are no intruders, no unwanted guests. So the likely culprit for Haise's condition is Haise himself: his feelings, his thoughts. The very same bitter self-loathing that had tormented Ken for so long, that Josuke had seen glimpses of, and had witnessed in full swing in the hospital.

Unless, of course, something has happened, which is possible...but Haise is strong. His skin is thick. What hurts him most and most easily comes from within.

"I was hoping we could hang out."

Yeah, at this hour. That's exactly what he was hoping for, he wasn't snooping and didn't overhear the sobfest going on behind closed doors. That's totally not it at all.

(Your friend is just as smooth as you, Haise.)

[dualismum]

"N-no. I was sleeping." Sasaki forces a smile, trying to dismiss it. if asked why he looks like he was crying, Haise will say he had a nightmare he doesn't remember about. Things like this are for the best.

It's not that Sasaki doesn't like Josuke or wants to hide everything from him. Not at all. He considers Josuke his best and closest friend and that's exactly why Sasaki can't tell him anything, as contradictory as it sounds. Because Sasaki is Kaneki and they both have issues and they don't don't believe that the bonds they have forged will remain unbroken. Rather than being "because he doesn't trust Josuke", t Sasaki and Kankei both believe they are not worth of those bonds and Josuke will see that when he realizes the wrong things they have done.

That's why the closest Sasaki (and Kaneki) is to someone, the less he tells them, the less these people know him, and less Sasaki appears to have any issues at all. At least he hopes not to show them this.

Josuke knocking at his door in the middle of the night was a surprise.

"... Hang out...?" even Haise realizes it's late, Josuke. But he nods regardless. "Sure- of course." hang out... where? Sasaki looks around, thinking for a moment, until he remembers- "Hey, I baked these sweets today - from eastern europe. Kiflice. Do you want to try some?"

[unbreaker]

Josuke won't ask. Not yet. He has experience with people who like to lie about or bottle up their feelings, and he knows that pushing for answers all at once can sometimes have the opposite results. He doesn't want Haise to shut him out or run, so he doesn't argue the point that his friend was sleeping, not even when he knows the truth.

"I don't think I've ever had kiflice." In fact, Josuke's not even sure he said that right, but what does it matter? He's got an in now, so he nods. "Sounds good though. What's in them?"

[dualismum]

Sasaki hums, moving out of his room and will head to the kitchen after. Getting distracted is a good idea right now and he did want to know what Josuke thought of the pastries he baked; of course he didn't expect the tasting to happen at this hour in the night, but he is not complaining.

"They are pastries from Eastern Europe, specially in Serbia, filled with hazelnut spread. They have a similar appearance to mini croissants. I don't know if they taste the same, though" obviously, since Sasaki can't eat.

And once in the kitchen, he will open the oven to take the pastries out. They aren't warm any longer, so it's alright to eat them.

[unbreaker]

"Only one way to find out."

Ken was an excellent baker, and from what Josuke had tasted of Haise's cooking, the same could be said for him. He was excited to try the European delight he'd made, though a good portion of his excitement was for show, to keep from being too obvious he was using this opportunity to get Haise alone and talk to him about what he'd overheard upstairs.

In the kitchen, Josuke hoists himself up on the counter and looks expectantly at the tray Haise pulls from the oven.

"Don't put 'em away, okay? If I really like it, I'm gonna want another."

★ CLOSED | Jonathan Crane (July 2)

[unbreaker]

The cafe where Josuke had asked Dr Jonathan Crane to meet him was located near the canal that cut through Maurtia Falls. Albeit modest in size, the view from its flowering courtyard was unrivaled by its neighbors and reminded him a little of the time he'd spent in Italy last summer. Rich, russet-hued flagstones, long arms of ivy creeping along the stucco, quaint checkered table clothes, and fresh floral centerpieces all made for a handsome display when coupled with the uninterrupted view of the water. Certainly, it was a location Crane could appreciate.

With better than an hour left until noon, the lunch crowd had yet to begin congregating. Josuke himself was early for a change, wanting to secure a table outside that allowed him to enjoy the fresh air—as well as offered a route of quick escape should things become unpleasant. Not that Josuke had reason to believe they would. After all, the point of his calling this meeting wasn't to pick a fight, but to engage in a little friendly conversation. With someone who wasn't exactly a friend.

Alright, so it was awkward. Josuke even refused to sit with his back to the door, instead opting to lose a bit of the view so Crane's arrival wouldn't catch him off guard. And while he waited? He busied himself stacking biscotti atop one another on a small plate. One, two, three...

Where was the doctor?

[restingstitchface]

It wasn't an unpleasant location; traditional wasn't the word he'd most associate with it, but it was up there. What a charming little restaurant. Quiet. Rustic. It seemed a good taste of Italian culture, except without the stereotypical mafioso and other such things. Certainly Gotham hadn't suffered a loss when he'd done Falcone in.

But he digresses. He's over to Josuke's table within a couple of short moments. Sliding himself into a chair. So clean-shaven, so pleasant. Small, easily overpowered and something of a pacifist. Except underneath it all he's considering how Josuke's choice of restaurant reveals plenty about his character - among other, darker things.

"Good morning."

[unbreaker]

"Morning."

Josuke doesn't get up from his seat when the doctor arrives, but he does cease playing with the biscotti, nods his head, and puts on his best attentive face.

"Nice place, huh?" Josuke himself had only been there once before, but he'd passed it several times in the past and it was a cafe that never failed to capture his attention. While considerably different from his usual choice of eatery (he's a teenager, fast food is often his go-to) the location certainly says a lot for his ability to appreciate character and class. "Sorry about the..."

He gestures to the plate of snacks precariously stacked atop each other.

"I didn't wanna look like I was loitering."

[restingstitchface]

Crane's lips press together as though he's going to say something. Any other time he would be giving disapproval, but he slides his fingers together under the table. But there's some change in his movement as he cranes his neck and leans to one side; he's lying his briefcase on its side and tapping it cautiously with the side of his foot.

"Of course not."

He looks at Josuke, ignoring his plate of snacks.

"Do you worry yourself with what people think of you, then?"

[unbreaker]

"Not really," Josuke answers, his attention divided between his plate of snacks and the doctor. "I mean, I don't want people to get the wrong impression about me, who does? But that's not what..."

A brief pause as he looks up and catches sight of the doctor leaned over. Of a glimpse of skin beneath his collar and at the base of the back of his neck. At scars that he'd been told he didn't have.

"...what I was..." What is this? What's going on? Did the doctor lie to him? Or maybe the Crane sitting across from him isn't the same doctor that met him on the beach. "Uh, I mean, stores don't like it when you take up space, y'know? Costs 'em money, so I was thinking about that."

He sits up a little straighter in his seat, his expression a little more cautious and a lot more intense than a moment ago.

"Hey, think I can ask you a question? It's important."

[restingstitchface]

Crane sits comfortably straight; his hands in his lap and hidden beneath the table. A conversation with questions is a glimpse of a person who isn't afraid to face unwanted answers. He can appreciate that. Or maybe he just wants to meet him face-to-face and squash him down.

His face is a little more pleasant than it was a moment ago. Calm and polite. He doesn't look like Scarecrow at all.

"I imagine you have plenty of questions for me, Josuke. Please don't be afraid to ask them."

sometime in the middle of the peru-sal; i'm so sorry

[oceanthief]

(1/5) Are chickens supposed to lay eggs?

(2/5) Should there be a lot of them? And shouldn't they be a little more worried about someone touching them?

(3/5) Theoretically, I mean. It's kind of slow here.

[and then, maybe twenty or thirty minutes later...]

(4/5) How do you make a snake throw up???

(5/5) Not that I need to! At all! Just curious!

[unbreaker]

hens lay eggs! and i think they lay like 1 a day or something normally. as for touching, that probably depends on how they're handled and who's handling them...

BUT WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THEORETICAL QUESTIONS LIKE THIS

[And then a little while later...]

uhhhhhh

lapis

it's not really good to force them to throw up unless they ate something they can't digest

...that didn't happen did it?

lapis?????

[oceanthief]

No, that would be really stupid.

[unbreaker]

YOU PROMISE EVERYTHING'S FINE?

[oceanthief]

Everything is exactly as alive as you left it.

[LAPIS THAT'S NOT ENCOURAGING]

[unbreaker]

and that status isn't in danger of changing right?????

★ CLOSED | Jonathan Joestar (July 12)

[unbreaker]

[The top of Machu Picchu is breathtaking—literally. At 2430 meters above sea level, not only is the view one of the most astonishing there is to behold on the planet, but the air is considerably thinner to boot. For Josuke, who may be quite fit but is also a far cry from being accustomed to such severe changes in altitude, numerous breaks were required on the hike up. And, upon reaching the topmost vantage point, he's all too happy to park his ass down on the grass and do some recuperating. With Jonathan taking care of the photographs, Josuke whips out his communicator to peruse the imPort network a little and...

...discovers he'd made a very big mistake leaving his pets in the care of Lapis Lazuli. Again.

After a brief and frantic exchange with the gem, Josuke tries to get his grandfather's attention. A much more difficult task than he'd imagined when he's competing with such a peerless spectacle: tall mountains, luscious green cliffsides, ancient ruins, and clear skies radiant with warm sunlight.

So Josuke does what Josuke does best, and that's leap headlong into things. Or in this case, at Jonathan's back.]

HEY OLD MAN! I SAID WE GOTTA GO! SHE'S GONNA KILL ALBERO IF I DON'T STOP HER!

[fistofthejoestar]

[Jonathan, on the other hand, has had no trouble at all adjusting to the thin air; after undergoing the rigorous training of Baron Zeppeli, regulating his breathing here didn't even merit a second thought. it's allowed him to act on his burgeoning energy without reservation...which has probably been more than a little exhausting for his great-grandson. he can't help himself - visiting places like this has been his dream for years, something he won't be able to achieve in his own world. he wants to see everything he possibly can.

of course, it's not the only reason he doesn't hear Josuke's cries immediately. between the altitude sickness and hiking and everything in between, Jonathan's slowly learned to filter out most of his travel buddy's complaining. it's become an enjoyable sort of white noise, a contribution to happy memories without substance.

it also means that he's caught completely off guard when Josuke tackles him.]

Ah-?

[unfortunately for Josuke, although his old man hadn't heard him, he had been multitasking.

unintentionally obscured by a nearby ruin is The World, drafting sketches as its user snaps photograph after photograph. it had seemed like a smart idea at the time, but Jonathan should have known better than to expect that to last. as he reaches up to grab Josuke and nudge him into a more easily communicable position, he finds that the work has already been done for him.

The World rushes to its master's supposed defense, yanking Josuke off his back - and delivering a firm punch to the gut to ensure it doesn't happen a second time. Jonathan makes a noise caught somewhere between irritation and disbelief, striding between his idiotic loved ones to prevent further damage.]

Unbelievable.

[if The World wasn't a spooky mindghost, it would be receiving a sharp slap upside the head right now. as it is, it's certainly the most cowed the stand has ever looked beneath that diving helmet.]

Are you alright? [he squats, pulling Josuke up a little] And what's this about someone being murdered?

[unbreaker]

[Spooky mindghost or not, as Jonathan helps him up, Josuke's giving The World a look suggestive of wanting to beat it over the head with that diving helmet.

Hell, if it weren't for needing to take a few moments to collect himself after a hit like that, he'd probably try to do it, too! Which wouldn't end well for him, but that's never stopped him before. Poor Jonathan, having to put up with his loved ones feuding this terribly. Will there ever be peace?]

Urrrghh...

[He uncurls a little and, finally wrenching his gaze away from Dio's Stand so he can look at his great grandfather, remembers what he'd been all up in arms about originally.]

...it's Albero! I...I left a friend in charge of him and she can't even tell time! I'm fucking screwed, the snake Giorno left me is gonna die!

[fistofthejoestar]

[the stand simply crosses its arms over its chest, unimpressed. surely it doesn't have an original thought in its head, but the expression on its face right now...well, a less educated person might mistake it for haughty.

but that's a quiet emotional kick in the teeth that Josuke will have to suffer alone, because Jonathan is too busy looking him over for any worrisome injuries and rubbing his back a little. this was pretty stupid, so he's not going to ripple any of the aches away.]

I think you may be overreacting a bit; reptiles are quite hardy creatures, especially if they don't need to be fed daily.

[not that logic and reason has ever stopped a person from worrying, which he knows pretty well by now.]

Besides, don't you trust her? You gave her this responsibility to begin with, after all.

[unbreaker]

[WOW?

Asking if he trusts Lapis or not, that's low. Like, right in the guilty feels low. Didn't know you were that kind of guy, grandpa! Taking cheap shots like that...

But it's a good point to raise, and one Josuke can't ignore now that his attention's been called to the matter. He has faith in Lapis...or he did. For however awkward she could be, she tried hard and meant well and he's pretty certain she won't actually let any of his pets come to harm. She's not actually stupid or anything, and if she needs help, surely she wouldn't be above asking for it? After all, she'd reached out to him to ask questions...

Yeah, okay, maybe things are fine. Maybe he was overreacting.]

...anyone ever tell you it's rude to be right all the time?

[It's said with some humor as he rubs at his stomach, but that's gone quickly when, after all that excitement and the pop in the gut from The World at this altitude, he feels something churn and, with barely enough time to spare, he turns away from Jonathan and tosses up the contents of their breakfast.]

[fistofthejoestar]

[W-WELP

Jonathan's glad that his great-grandson manages to turn away from him before he tosses his cookies - not so much for his shoes' sake but because it means he won't be able to see his old man firmly pressing a hand over his mouth to kill the laughter before it sees the light of day. it makes him feel really horrible, but he can't help himself.]

I'm sure they will as soon as it starts happening.

[the mild reply is meant to take a little of the focus off the fact that Josuke's barfing his guts all over a historical site more than actually foster much of a conversation. no need to embarrass the poor kid, after all.

Jonathan gives his back another gentle rub before leaning back a little to rummage through his bag. moments like these made him very glad to have packed so many water bottles.]